Vision
by Night Searcher
Summary: After Exposure (spoilers) Tory and the gang discover they're not alone in their journey of figuring their genetic mishap. A whole new mess of problems come along that don't include murder or psychopaths, but genetics and hormonal issues. Normal teen issues; at last the "normal" by Viral's standards. (contains: swearing, mature content, ToryxBen, and all that good stuff)
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: this is after Exposure. Contains spoilers**

* * *

Chance's eyes were molten red.

My hand went numb when I let his arm go, then my entire arm. I began to shake.

"Tor?" I heard Ben's voice but couldn't focus on it. Everything inside my head was turning to mush. Chance's presence was throwing me off. I knew the other Virals were there, but there was this fifth one. I couldn't wrap my mind around it like I could the others. It was throwing me off.

"Tory!" I must've fallen because I was starring at the ceiling and Ben. My entire body was shaking violently.

"What's wrong with her?" Chance asked frantically.

"She's the only one who can connect to us through her mind. You must've messed her up somehow." Shelton yelped.

"You just had to mess with our lives didn't you Rich Boy!" Hi screamed.

"If you hadn't lied to me none of this would've happened! I could've helped!" Chance's voice rang out with anger and frustration. Ben just looked down at me with horrified eyes. "Tory."

_Ben_. My mind blurred, and smeared, stretched, and warped.

_**Snap**_**_  
_**

My vision, above 20/20 average, that I had become accustomed to returned and everything else kicked into high gear. I could smell the fear leaking off all the boys but Chance's was different. His smelt more concerned for something other than me right now. Himself.

Suddenly, pain jolted out of mouth. I screamed in agony. My body curled into a tight ball, not allowing Ben's safe arms to caress me. My tongue scraped against something sharp in my mouth. Blood stained my lips and teeth, and spilled out onto the floor.

"Holy shit! We need to call 9-1-1!"

"NO!" All three boys shouted in unison.

"If we do we'll be exposed... _all _of us. Including you." Shelton squeaked frantically.

"Yeah, welcome to the freak show." Hi barked.

"Guys! Tory could be dying right now so shut the hell up and focus!" He tilted my head onto it' side so the blood didn't spill back into my throat. Reaching into my mind, I forced myself past the pain, and envisioned the glowing lines connecting us all. Hi. Shelton. Ben. I could sense Coop fidgeting around in the apartment howling like a possessed beast. I saw all their figures around me in glowing yellow light. But off in the distance, there was a new figure now. One enveloped in hot red light. Different.

_**Snup**_

Suddenly, I lost my flare. The boys must've been flaring too because they all let out and exhausted sigh. My eyes fluttered open. I saw Ben starring intensely at my face; all the boys were. Normal irises. All accept for Chance.

"Chance," I started saying weakly, "You need to let your flare go."

"My what? My eyes are fucking glowing red! Your eyes were yellow, just like the last times!"

"Chance, just relax!" Ben screamed knowing his frustration was affecting me. I could feel his anger surging through my head like a force in the room. Unable to take it, my body hurled itself at him. My hands grasped his temples till his flare subsided. His eyes returned to their normal cocoa brown.

He stumbled backward and braced himself a bookshelf. I was left there to fall onto the floor. The last thing I remember was The boys beginning to argue and Ben pulling me back into his arms saying, "Tor, please hang in there," things went black, "Tory."

* * *

My name is Victoria Brennan. I live in Charleston, South Carolina. I'm a typical high school student with normal friends and a normal life. Ha! I wish.

I'm actually the most a-typical girl, strike that, human, strike that, most a-typical _something_ you'll ever meet. If I don't get myself killed first.

I'm not longer "technically" human, parts of my genetic code have been rewritten and transformed. Everything I thought I knew about my body and the possibilities of it have long since left my already screwed up life.

"Well, who are you?" you might ask. That's easy. I'm Victoria Brennan, Tory or Tor for short, and I am a Viral to boot.


	2. Chapter 2

I began to wake up in a cold sweat. My mouth was unbelievably sore. My tongue throbbed from where it touched the sharp object. Something was off. My head felt groggy but it wasn't that. _Him_. He was near me.

My eyes flashed open. Something feral inside me warned me of danger. I leapt from where ever I was laying down and crouched on the floor. There were four other figures in the room. I didn't know their faces but I knew their presence. Something seemed familiar about them though. They tried to approach me but a low growl formed in the back of my throat. I could feel the hair on the back of my neck prickle. They were making weird noises. They were trying to communicate to me. Or something.

My eyes scanned all of them as I crawled low to the floor. My claws scraped the thin layer of dust. I carefully looked at all of the figures. The first one I observed was the tallest, biggest, and the one that agitated me the most. He was different. All the others had a yellow feel to their presence. He had a blood color.

I tried concentrating on the other three. One seemed nervous. The other just didn't know what to do. The third. The third was looking straight at me. As the other three spoke, he continued to stare. Something in his eyes. They wanted something back. They wanted _me_ back.

Another instinct kicked it. _Human__._ It tried to tell me to stand on my hind legs. Just my legs. I wanted to for some reason. My body reacted. I lifted one paw after the other. My hind legs wobbled. The one who stared tried to catch me, he put his front paws out while he stood on his two legs; I growled loud enough for him, and the rest of them to hear. He backed off.

More noises came from their muzzles. More for me to not understand. Suddenly, a new figure came in. _Brother_, I thought. His ears pricked up at the site of me. He trotted over. _Cooper_. I must've made the noise the other figures knew because they started howling and making noise like crazy. Over and over I heard Cooper's name but nothing else made sense. They knew my brother.

_Scared. Lost. Help._ I thought.

My brother came forward to me as I sat on my haunches. My front paws balanced on his shoulders. I looked into his familiar eyes. He said, _Be human again sister. Be not scared anymore_.

* * *

The guys all starred at me. I was standing in the bunker. Coop was sitting at my feet. Chance was here. Shelton. Hi. Ben.

I looked at my hands. They were covered in a thin layer of dust. My mouth was sore beyond belief. My head felt like someone toyed around inside and shoved me out and back in again. I didn't remember anything after I collapsed. Something lingered inside my head. Something ancient. Primitive. Wild. _  
_

Thinking too much made my head hurt even worse. I ran my hair through my scalp. The tip of my fingers grazed my ears; they felt pointier than normal. I looked around. I felt different.

"Tori." I yelped with fear. I was shot out of my daze. Ben's voice scared me. His face grew sad. I never thought that hearing English would scare me. "Tori, it's me. Ben." I must've looked confused because he went on to say, "This is Hi. Shelton. Coop,"

"I'm here too you know!" Chance argued loudly.

"Yeah but I think she trusts the people she's known longer and has been through more with than you Rich Boy!" Hi screamed.

"Guys! Focus for one second! Not our biggest issue at the moment." Shelton brought everyone back to me.

"Tori," Ben's voice was sweet and kind. Honest and comforting. "We won't hurt you. Remember_. _We're your friends. We're here for you." I just stood there. I couldn't move. I had honestly forgotten some of the most important people in my life. _  
_

I staggered forward. Before I knew it, I was crumpling to the floor wrapped tightly in Ben's arms.

"What's happening to me?" I whispered softly with a deep hurt in my voice.

Ben answered honestly. Thank god. "We may never know. But we'll always be there for each other. I'll always be there for you."

I let my head rest on his shoulder as his lips pressed against the crown of my head. I smiled ever so slightly as I began to hear the others guys fighting.


	3. Chapter 3

I was sitting in the bunker holding my head between my knees. The guys were all yelling their heads off at each other again. What was happening to me? Would this happen to the guys? Would we lose it completely? Would we be safe anymore if this happened at any random time? I was just flat-out scared. I was kinda glad that the guys were yelling; it kept my mind off of some of this. Helped me forget that I'd temporarily forgotten all of them, but after listening to it for a half hour, it was getting a little annoying. They kept fighting over the same thing. If only they could hear themselves. they sounded like a pack of deranged hyenas. Yipping, growling, and snarling.

"I can't believe you actually thought injecting yourself with an _experimental virus_ was a good idea!" Ben screamed. He'd been my voice in all this since my head felt like it had just gone through the blender.

"If you had just explained to me what was happening instead of hiding everything maybe we wouldn't be in this mess!" Chance had a somewhat valid point, but being as deep as we were, we couldn't afford to take any risks.

"Bare in mind guys, I've got an entire veterinary clinic company in the palm of my hand who'll jump if I say so, and what've you got? The internet? Books? Educated guesses?" Once again, valid points.

"But notice one thing, we've kept it under a pretty tight seal. This is extremely dangerous and you're completely ignoring that fact." Ben said coldly, "If even a rumor about something even remotely similar to what we are and what we can do, we'll never see daylight again let alone each other. They'd find us faster than you can write a check Claybourne. They won't hesitate to do to take us just because of what we look like, who we are, or who our families are. They will take us, Chance. They'll take us _all_." Chance had probably never in his wildest nightmares, thought of a scenario that he couldn't buy or charm his way out of. We on the other hand, had gotten used to squeaking by; even though ninety percent of the were a little too close for comfort.

The boys all broke out into hysterics. Hadn't they gotten tired of fighting? I sure as hell had gotten tired of listening. A strong taste rose in the back of my throat. _Oh shit_.

Before I knew it, my body hurled itself out the narrow opening of the bunker ran a little ways to the right, and proceeded to relieve itself of what little contents it held.

I probably knelt there hacking away for a good solid two to three minutes till absolutely nothing, not even bacteria, would have been left in my tank. I sat back on my heels. My throat burned. My head was foggy. I felt like my body was going to concave on itself from being so hollow.

But at least it was silent. I should've puked about half an hour ago if I had known it would've gotten me peace and quiet. Nothing but the rolling sea, sea gulls, and the distant sound of afternoon traffic.

A strong pair of hands braced my shoulders as I shook slightly. Ben could usually gage when I wanted human interaction after an emotional episode. Sometimes. Not all the time. He was definitely getting better at it.

I looked over my shoulder to see Shelton ripping at his poor earlobe, Hi with his hands on his head pacing back and forth, and Chance standing there without a clue in the world about what he should do with himself. But one thing I knew for sure was that they were all waiting for their brave, and ready leader to hatch a plan. Only this time. The plan wouldn't involve saving other people, saving LIRI, or saving a friendship; this was about saving our lives. And this time, I had nothing to go off of.

* * *

Thank god all this happened on a Friday. The weekend would give me at least two days to try to begin this warped puzzle. After my vomit fest, the guys decided to call it a day. Ben helped make sure I didn't face plant in the sand, bless that boy. I threw up another three times and nearly got the last one on his shirt.

When we reached my house, I remembered Whitney would be making dinner right about now. Blargh.

"Tory! Get this mongrel out of the kitchen and up to your room immediately!" said a voice in a high-pitched octave twanged with a Southern Belle's accent.

"Hi Whitney. Oh I'm fine thanks for asking. And have you ever bothered to think that if you fed him his dinner once in a while he might not want to eat you?" I was so not in the mood for any of this.

"Darling, why on earth are you forcing this gentleman to drag you around?" Typical, avoid the topic at hand and make a quick switch.

"I don't know, maybe it's because I vomited like four times, and didn't trust myself to walk home."

"Oh sweetie! I told Kit not to cook those burgers so rare, now look at you! You look absolutely dreadful." Thanks, Whitney. Remind me how crappy I feel.

"Go up stairs right now and put on your pajamas, I'll run to the store and whip up some good old fashion chicken soup in no time." And like that, Whitney was gone. She probably left to get away from my vomit coodies. Or to get away form Coop now drooling at my feet from the smell of pasta and meatballs.

"So, what now?" Ben asked. I'd almost forgotten that I was hanging off his shoulder. "I should probably feed Kujo here before he creates a puddle with that slobber." I let my arm drop from Ben's shoulder as I tried to lean down and pet poor Coop. I didn't realize how off-balance I was till I hit the floor. My chin hit the hardwood with a satisfactory thud.

"Ooooowww." I said in a monotone.

"Oh good lord."

"No, its okay, you can call me Tory."

Ben chuckled. "Go feed the mutt for me will ya? Bag's in the pantry to the left, cups in the third drawer. Remember,

"Only two cups, or he's gonna get fatter than he already is."

"Only two cups, or he's gonna get fatter than he already is. I know, Tor." Ben and I talked at the same time. We both smiled. Coop bounced happily at Ben's heels while I pulled myself up to the near by couch. I ploped down and laid flat on my back as I listened to Coops' whining while Ben poured his food. I closed my eyes. It felt so good. Like I hadn't slept in eons.

I listened to the soft volume of the news. My body seemed to melt into the cushions. Something sunk into the cushions next to me. I cracked my eyes and saw Ben clicking to the _Discovery_ channel with Coop at his feet gnawing on a raw hide. He must've seen me peeking otherwise he wouldn't have asked, "Am I bothering you?"

"Not at all."

"Tor, you need a nap. You look like a friggin ghost."

"You're just jealous of my beautiful Irish complexion." He play punched my arm. "I'm joking. I'd kill to have skin that doesn't cook as red as a lobster." We both laughed. My body was so relaxed, I let my eyelids fall. They weren't going to open again.

"Tory." All I could do was mumble something that resembled a reply. "You need a nap, and I don't think the couch is your bed." I didn't move. I couldn't. Sleep overwhelmed me. Coop tried licking my face but a hand stopped him.

I felt arms wrapping under my legs and around my back. Ben was holding my like the cliché hero carrying the damsel.

He carefully walked up the stairs and into my room and placed me on my bed. Since it was hot as hell and I hate being sticky when I sleep, he only covered my legs.

My mind dove deeper into itself. Everything sounded farther away. And before I heard the door close softly, I could've sworn I felt a faint pair of lips press against my hair line.


	4. Chapter 4

The night was awful. Dreams of screams, howls, pain, and fear ravaged my mind. I didn't sleep a wink. Today would be absolute hell.

I trudged downstairs in some mesh workout shorts and a loose NCIS t shirt. My hair was thrown back in an extremely messy bun and dark circles made it look like I had two shiners. I wasn't aiming to hit project runaway any time soon.

"Hey kiddo, you sleep okay? You were making a ruckus all night." Kit obviously couldn't see my appearance. He had his back turned making sausages and scrabbled eggs. The sight of the yellow stuff made me wanna vomit. But the sausages made my mouth water. I opened the fridge with Coop eagerly at my heels whining for water. I refilled his bowl as I poured some OJ.

I stole some sausages from the plate next to the skillet and made cereal. "I'm gonna be really late tonight, Whitney's gonna make fish but she left pre made soup for you in the fridge; said you weren't feeling well," he finally turned around and faced me, "and for good reason. Tor, are you sure you should be going out today? You look like the ghost of Christmas past." He placed a hand on my shoulder and stared right at my face.

"I'm fine. Just had a lot of nightmare last night. No biggie, promise." Kit didn't seem all that convinced. "The guys and I were just gonna take a fishing trip today anyway. I swear I won't do anything crazy and I'll try to take a nap once we stop."

"Alright, wear a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen your skin well. A sunburns the last thing you'd need if you're down on sleep."

"'Kay." I sat down and pushed my eggs away and devoured the sausage. One thing that godforsaken night couldn't take from me was my appetite for meat. I scarfed down four links and an entire bowl of cereal. Kit left after I slurped my milk down. Lucky for me, Whitney went out shopping for some event coming up. Blargh.

I grabbed a beat up baseball cap and some shades before I went to the docks. The guys were already there and starting to nag about my tardiness.

"Well, well, well. Our lady in waiting has finally arrived." Hi chimed with a blinding hawaiian T-shirt and kaki shorts. "What's up with the hat and shades? Got a bad zit you don't want us to see?" I tripped on one of the cleats and nearly face planted if it weren't for Ben's uncanny ability to sense when I let gravity get the best of me.

"Geez, are you trying to kill yourself?" I hung in Ben's arms with my stomach wrapped by his forearms, "and what is up with the funky head gear?" He had me take a seat and I took off my stuff. Simultaneous gasps. I saw my reflection in the glasses. My eyes were kinda puffy and I looked like a raccoon or a wannabe with ridiculous mascara.

"Tory, I'm not so sure you should go out today." Shelton spoke very clearly. The other two nodded. "I didn't really feel like fishing all that much today anyway."

"Yeah, Tor. I just found this awesome game online that I wanted to try. Besides, I probably would've gotten seasick from the chop today."

Ben just looked at me. Speaking louder than the others silently. His deep brown eyes seemed to sink into me deeper than the others words could.

"But there is a place we all need to go today." All arguments stopped.

"We've got to visit Chance again." Arguments commenced; this time, much, much, louder.


	5. Chapter 5

Before Chance left yesterday, he told us he was staying at the lodge instead of the main house. For very obvious reasons.

Ben took it slow and steady and tried to avoid waves as we went so I could lay down on the bow. Once we reached the house, Hi helped me out off _Sewee's_ bow. I knocked on the front door.

"Who are you?"

"Chance, open up! It's us!" He cracked the door open like we were kidding; once he saw it really was us, he let us in.

The place hadn't changed much. A few decorations changed, Lacrosse trophies replaced golf or tennis or what ever was there before. Personal photos of awards, tournaments, and other self confidence boosters were scattered everywhere.

"What are you doing here?" Chance said with a glass of what looked like iced tea, but could very well be beer, in his hand.

"Well, considering you just threw yourself into the unknown world of a super virus and chaos, I thought you might want to know some of the things we've discovered so you wouldn't struggle as much, but if you don't want us invading your personal space, we'll gladly leave." I headed straight for the door. He leapt from the kitchen, and grabbed my shoulders hard. I shoved him away. "If you want our help I suggest you treat us with some respect." He wasn't looking directly at my eyes because I still had my hat and sunglasses on.

He let my shoulders go and I took a seat next to Ben on the couch with Hi and Shelton in arm chairs and Chance sitting on the enormous hart in front of the fireplace.

"Tory, this is totally irrelevant, and I'm not criticizing your fashion choices, but what's up with the hat and sunglasses? You're inside."

"Maybe she just wants to. Ya' every think of that, Rich Boy?"

"Its fine guys. He has a right to know. After all, it's because of him." I revealed my beaten and beaten down face. Chance's face seemed surprised. Like he'd never seen someone this worn out.

"I swear I didn't hit her, guys!"

"We know, Claybourne. But it's because of you she's like this. You messed her head up really bad and now we're totally in the dark about what's happening and what's gonna happen."

Ben and the boys looked at Chance hard and long.

"Just, tell me what you know."

I took a deep breath in. "Alright, it started when we were snooping around where we weren't supposed to at LIRI,"

* * *

Chance for the gist of it after a while. I explained how we got the virus and what it did to our bodies. But when asked questions like, how come he didn't get sick or why his eyes were red and not yellow. None of us had answers to this.

"So let me get this straight, you guys can control your powers in bursts by what you call _flaring_. This means all five of the sense are brought up to that of a wolf."

"Yeah. Hi can see the best, I can hear the best, Ben's the fastest and strongest," Shelton began but was promptly interupted by Hi, "He may be competing for that role now since you're a boulder and flaring would make you, like, ten thousand times stronger."

"So thats how you guys took out those armed gunmen at the beach looking for the treasure and how you got out of the basement at the ball. You flared and pooled your, powers." He paused before saying powers as if it were too geeky for someone like him to say out loud.

"You're forgetting our most important asset here. Tory." All eyes were on me as Ben said that.

"What can she do?" Chance asked.

"Tory can smell the best and is the only one out of all of us who can connect through our minds." Ben's tone was quiet. "That's why she looks like shit, no offense Tor, but when you flared the other day, it messed with her connection to us. We all have it but Tory's is the strongest of them all. She can force us to flare, commence telepathic communication, and use us like extensions of herself." Ben said it all.

"Extensions?" Chance seemed confused.

"I can see what they see. I can read their thoughts. I can use it to my and all of our advantage. I can even do it with Coop. I can even smell emotions." I closed my eyes and searched the back of my mind and reached.

**Snap**.

This time it came smoothly. I felt so at peace and rejuvenated. I opened my eyes to reveal my glowing irises. I took a deep breath in through my nose. "I can smell them."

"Smell what?" Chance seemed to shrink back. Scared by my powers.

"Emotions. Your emotions." I knew I was being a little creepy, even for the guys, but I had to get it across to him somehow. "Fear. Anxiety. Jealousy. Happiness. Envy. Greed. Hatred. They're not just inside, each has a distinct scent that easy for me to pick up and register." Chance obviously didn't know what to think.

"Look, Chance, this is who I am. This is who we are. Who _you_ are now. But one thing you need to understand and honor right away is that we are a pack."

"A pack?" Chance asked as if we were talking about some goofy club for seven year olds.

"Yes, Chance, a pack. A pack is a family. _Our_ family. You need to get lock that into your brain quick. We won't ever be accepted by society. And neither will you. We're all we have in this world. If you don't want to accept that, then fine. We'll leave, and take all your chances of making it with us."

I looked at him with sincerity. My eyes saw him in perfect clarity. Gorgeous as ever. But worried beyond belief. He would need the help we never got in order to get through this.

**Snup**.

I felt so weak after I let my flare go; but I didn't let myself faultier. I could tell Chance was much more comfortable with me this way. I probably would've been too. "We can get through this together," I knelt down in front of his knees and placed my hands on top of his. "Chance, we can do this. We will do this."

He finally understood.


	6. Chapter 6

"Now that we're all together on this, we need to come up with a plan." Shelton paced back and forth while I fought to stay awake.

"A plan for what?" Asked Chance now much more relaxed and free of tension around us.

"A plan to see how we react all together. Flaring individually heightens our each and every different physical abilities and mental awareness. But for some reason, when we flare together, our bond is made stronger. You have to experience it to know what I'm talking about." Shelton was right. I think we all simultaneously thought back to the hurricane. We worked together like we were one mind. All our thoughts and reactions melding together. It was one of the most indescribable feelings ever.

"Before we potentially break Tory's, or any of our minds for that matter, I think we should all help Chance individually. All our experiences are different so before we work collectively, we have to do one on one." Ben astounded me with his logic. His shining moments always made me proud of him.

"We don't know how long that could take. Remember guys, Chance's strain of the virus could be totally different from ours. We can't rush this in any way. We have to take our time, especially with the breaking our minds part involved." Thank god Shelton usually had lots of logic and reason to spare.

"We'd need a totally secure location too. I mean, we can't go practice wolfing out in our rooms and risk our nosy as hell parents coming in. And we really can't practice at Loggerhead considering they're not singing our praises when we walk in, and now surveillance on that place is tighter than that Military Freackazoid ass." Ben furrowed his eyebrows.

I let out a huge sigh. Why couldn't we just breakout with zits, argue with our parents a lot, and have relationship issues like normal teenagers. Well, I was having _a_ relationship issue with Ben. We hadn't exactly confronted each other yet about what recently happened. Believe me things were getting better, and I was starting to get the old vibe back with Ben, but something else was mixing itself in and I couldn't quite pin that down yet. I kept thinking back to moments like at the dock, and that these feelings really started once I saw him worrying about me more. Caring for me. When I kissed him. All bets were off. I had developed, and am still under that spell called a crush.

* * *

So, apparently I had fallen asleep and that was the end of our meeting. The guys ushered me back home where I proceeded to sleep the rest of the day till noon the next day. The guys kept checking up on me while I was sleeping because they kept telling I was so deep in sleep I looked dead.

I sat at the table munching cereal at one o'clock while the guys watched tv or played video games. I wasn't as bone tired as the other day, but I was still really drowsy. Lucky for me, Kit had another full day of late night work and Whitney was visiting friends and family out of state for the next three weeks. I'm not a big religious person, but I give who ever's up there a big amen and hallelujah for that savior.

"Hey, Tor," Shelton called over, "we're gonna video chat with Chance to try and get an estimate for our next move." I dragged my lazy butt over to the living room, plopped down on the floor with Ben and Coop, Hi and Shelton behind me on the sofa, and booted up my Mac.

Chances face appeared after two rings. "So, you feeling any better today?"

"I played _Watch Dogs_ last night, it was pretty cool, and I slept ok. I still don't like you but thanks for askin', Rich Boy." Hi with his normal humor.

"Thanks for informing us Hiram, but I believe you know who I was talking to."

I slapped Hi's knee fake scolding him. "Uh-oh. I mad mommy mad!" I gave him the appropriate mother face that said I-don't-need-your-sass face.

"I'm still breathing and my mental state is stable enough." I replied with cereal in my mouth lapping up the luxury of not having Whitney to cringe and scold my unladylike manners. "Regarding what you said earlier, Whitney's gonna be gone for about a month and Kits been swamped with work since they've expanded their research. I'm pretty much home free."

The guys still seemed a little edgy about letting Chance in on everything, but I knew he had to feel like at least one of us had his back. And if that person had to be me, so be it.

"I think I might've found us a perfect spot." All the guys leaned in to hear this breaking news. They guys didn't sound all that thrilled when Chance said "us".

"Really? Where?" Shelton asked despite his obvious discomfort. That poor earlobe would either be ripped off or be permanently elongated.

"There's an abandoned island property way out near Cape Romain. Its just outside the refuge, so it won't be a problem, and it's been up for sale for about a year but it's so far out no ones made any offers."

I thought about it. I knew there were lighthouse tours so that worried me, "How close is the nearest lighthouse. I don't like the possibility of tour boats coming near while we flare."

"That's the beauty of it. A lot of the lighthouses and facilities were damaged in the last hurricane, so touring won't resume for another year and a half. There was a small building out out there for an Outward Bound project, but it didn't generate enough interest and it was too much money to maintain so the entire island was abandoned. It's been left untouched for about five years, so the building should be fine." Chance announced everything like he'd rehearsed it. I couldn't blame him. We could be a tough crowd. But I seriously thought about it. It was the perfect time. The perfect location. Everything seemed too perfect to be true.

"Chance, this was a really great find. But," I could see the expressions around me. We would need a night or two to sleep on this. "We're all gonna need a little time to think about this."

"I understand. I'll leave you to your thoughts."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guys! Sorry for the late update, my life's crazy right now. Ok, so for this chapter, you'll get to see some things through Ben's perspective about what the heck's going on. Hope you like it. BTW I appreciate reviews and constructive criticism. :) enjoy!**

* * *

We decided to give Chance an answer in a week. But our window of opportunity was closing Summer didn't last forever. But, ever since I had my little, "episodes" I didn't feel like myself. I really need to talk to someone. I sat quietly on my bed and looked for something to do. To no avail. My thoughts consumed my mind. All the adults in my life were completely unaware of the situation and the one person who could've ever helped was killed. Sometimes I forgot about that day. It made my hopes of somehow understanding what was happening to me, grow smaller. My best bets were the guys.

Hi couldn't quite give me the emotional insight I needed, so he was out. Shelton was too nervous to offer and help, so he was out too. Hell would have to freeze over and I'd ice skate with the devil before I asked Chance for advice. That guy was a serious mental case because of me and I didn't need to let him know I might be becoming one too. My only option was Ben. We'd seem to be on good terms as of late and it'd give us a chance to, sort things out.

I kept thinking back. All those things that had happened. He did all of that to impress me. How did it get so far? Why did it have to be him? I wished I could take everything back.

My head was getting agitated and my heart felt like it was going to burst. I never meant for anything to go this far. Never. I wanted to apologize. I wanted to tell Ben. How I felt. I wanted to tell him...

_**Snap**_

Everything was better than clear. It was perfect. Scents poured into my snout. I smelt them. My own emotions. My agitation. My anxiety. My fear. Worry. They were everywhere. I smelt something else. Longing. It was almost, sweet. A small, dull smell. My paws touched the funny surface on the ground. The place was full of, _human_, objects. My pack. I needed the pack. Or just, _him_.

I left the cave and walked towards the thing that smelt like the outside behind it. Something in my head told me to do something. I sat up and looked at my paws. My legs lifted me into the air. I touched the circle, and the thing opened. _Door_. The door opened. Fragments of the human world flickered in and out of my mind. I wanted _him__. _I needed _him_.

I followed his scent until I reached another, door. I did that thing again. All while I walked foreignly on my hind legs. They were thin and wobbly. When I went into the new cave, his scent was everywhere. But where was he? I looked around, then closed my eyes. I found where his scent was strongest. I tracked it up those strange up things, no, the _stairs_, and to another cave. I peaked around the corner. There he was. He looked over.

"...?!" He said something but it didn't make sense. It was just noise coming from his muzzle. He looked at me closer. He made more of that weird noise. It was loud and fast. He moved closer. Something told me to move closer. Something told me I was supposed to be here. That I wanted to be here.

Suddenly, I couldn't stand on my back legs anymore. I fell down. He rushed to me. He tried to pick me up again, his touch was familiar. Everything about him was familiar. I felt safe. He was apart of my pack. But he was different. He was different from the rest of the pack.

_Friend_. I thought. _Feelings_. The same noises he had made somehow came out of my muzzle. He understood them. He kept staring at me. His eyes never left mine as I sat on the ground. I moved forward. His paws rested on me. One on top of my front leg, the other on my paw. Then, he said something else.

"Tori."

* * *

He was just typing on his laptop. Summer work, and occasionally flipping to YouTube to pass the time if he lost interest. He heard a noise behind him. His dad was out working so he should've been alone. When Ben finally turned around, he saw Tori peaking around the corner. Her eyes glowing magnificently. Golden. Bright. Why? She knows the risks. _How did she manage to walk through the whole freaking building without being seen?_ Suddenly, he remembered that ever since Chance became Viral, Tori's flares were different.

She walked in, then fell and crouched. "What're you doing here?" She wasn't her "human" self. Ben struggled to try and coax her back. "Are you okay?" Nothing. As he began to worry more and more. He looked at her face. Something was missing.

Her spirit. Tori always had a great presence about her. But when Ben looked at her, yes it was her body, yes it was her face, but it wasn't, _her_. The bright, happy spirit he'd always admired about her wasn't as noticeable lately. He knew this had to be hard for her; and all he wanted was to be able to help her.

"Please, snap out of it." Ben looked right at her.

"_Friend... Feelings_." Her voice sounded fake. Like it wasn't hers. Ben feared the worst. She wasn't reacting like she had in the clubhouse. He knelt down, and touched her hand and shoulder.

"Tori." When he said that, she titled her head. "Tori, please." She moved a little bit towards him. "Please," he whispered, "Come back to me." He moved a little closer to her. She still seemed like an empty shell. Ben thought hard about what he should do. She said friend. She did recognize him. But, then she said _feelings_. What did that mean. Maybe something reminded her about everything they'd been through together. He thought back to when she'd kissed him in the forest after they'd taken down that crooked cop. It was worth a shot.

"Tori," he said one more time with his eyes closed and hand slightly squeezing hers, hoping something would break through, "I... really... li-"

Suddenly her hands cupped his face. They were so warm. Ben closed his eyes and sighed. He knew this wasn't really "Tori."

"Ben." He looked at her again. Green. Irises. A spark. He just looked at her.

* * *

"Ben." I woke up from what felt like a deep sleep. A dreamless one. One where you just stared at black. And there he was. My hands caressing his face. My right thumb was close to his lower lip, it moved on its own and traced that one spot. They were surprisingly soft. I looked into his eyes.

We sat there on the floor of his room like this for what seemed like forever. Something in my head pulled me closer to him. So close, our lips finally touched.


	8. Chapter 8

Sunlight. That was what I first woke up to.

A small steady stream coming through the crack of the curtains. It was so bright. Books, cars and boat magazines strewn all over the room. Clothes too. Most in a hamper by the door that smelt kinda sweaty and kinda like sea salt; but some on the floor too.

Warmth. Thats what I felt next.

A sensational experience in which I'd never felt before. It enveloped my body with such bliss.

A scent. A deep and rich smell. _Happiness_, and something else; something sweet and gentle.

I was in Ben's room. In Ben's bed. With Ben holding me from behind with his one arm around my waist and one under my head as a pillow. His knees were perfectly pressed into the backs of mine. His chest firmly against my back. We were spooning.

When I took a deep breath, and suddenly the hints thrown here and there and how we were positioned made me come to only one conclusion.

I remembered waking up from a blackout, I must've been flaring, and found myself sitting on Ben's floor with him looking at me with a worried face. Then, I kissed him. Then everything else was fuzzy. I looked more carefully at the clothes on the floor; they were my clothes. Or at least my hoodie, tank, and shorts.

"Tor..." Ben's voice was groggy and low. I'd never really heard it like that before, "are you ok?" His voice became alert and high. He gently moved his arm and body so I turned and laid on my back. The sun hit his body like bronze. Golden and gorgeous. I'd never seen his body this close and from this particular angle. There was slight stubble growing on his face and his hair was perfect. His eyes were intense, and focused. No one had ever looked at me with such eyes before. He was only wearing boxers.

I took a quick peak down at my own body and saw that I was wearing only a bra and underwear. _Oh god, what did I get myself into last night? _

He looked at me and asked again, "Tor, are you ok? Do you remember anything?"

It took me a moment to respond, but eventually I managed to say, "Yes... I mean no... I mean... what happened, exactly?"

Judging by his expression and got the feeling that I might not want to know.

"Well, its a little complicated. You see," Ben paused and looked at me. I knew he didn't want to tell me the truth because he probably knew how I was going to react. But he took a deep breath, and began.

* * *

"You came to my room. Flaring. I got scared because I knew after what happened with Chance that when you flared you got... lost, and that it was incredibly difficult to get you back. You just walked in here, from your house I'm guessing, in broad daylight. Then you stood there like you were looking for something. When I tried confronting you, after a little while I think you said something like _friend_. I figured you were looking for me. I tried talking to you to see I could snap you back. It took me about half an hour before you snapped out of it. I was so afraid you were really gone,

You had this look in your eye almost as if there was nothing inside you. Usually when you flare you have this vibrancing about you. This inner light. You looked half dead, Tor. Then you came back. You... you kissed me. You kept kissing me. Before I knew it, we were... full on making out. You did it in such a manner that I couldn't stop myself. Then, you pushed me down, and... touched me. You started pressing your... _body_... on me. Slowly, then, you looked at me. I looked at your eyes. Something was different. You seemed longing. I tried to stop you then you did. But, your hair fell down and I couldn't see your face. I sat up with you straddling my legs, and looked at your face. You were crying silently. I couldn't believe what I had done. I'd never felt so horrible in my life.

I wiped away your tears and held you till you stopped crying. I kissed your hair and your forehead. Then I kissed you one more time. You kissed me back, so sweetly. You lifted my shirt off, so... I kinda did the same. We just sat there in nothing but our... next to birthday suits... kissing like that. Tenderly. Then you got tired. I guessed that the flare, and... other things... made you kinda tired. You curled up in my lap and I just held you like that for the entire afternoon. I rubbed your arms and back and stroked your hair. You closed your eyes as the sun was going down.

I picked you up and brought you to the bed. I got in and set us up just like we were only laying down. You opened your eyes one more time around 10 and kissed me sweetly again but this time you said something." He stopped there

* * *

Ben suddenly stopped talking after everything he said.

"What did I say?"

* * *

"That... you... like me. That you... love me."

* * *

**A/N: I am sincerely sorry for not posting as much as I should but my life is complicated... boarder line hellish. Till next time, please enjoy this. I will try to write more, I promise **


	9. Chapter 9

My conversation with Ben was two days ago. I haven't really said anything much since. That's how weirded out by all this I am. I, Victoria Brennan, the girl who knew coodies weren't a real thing and that hormones were since I was nine years old, had told someone I loved them. And not just any someone, probably my best friend who doesn't have four legs and drools.

And I didn't just say I loved him, I stuck my tongue down his throat, stripped next to naked in front of him, and then told him I loved his as we both lay in his bed in our underwear.

Now was the day we had to give Chance our answer. I didn't know what to do with myself at this point. My mind kept wandering to the weirdest and freakiest possibilities. Like, was my Flaring self in... heat or something? Would I do that with Hi or Shelton? Or... Chance? What would happen the next time my flare got out of control and I was in front of Kit? Out in public? What would happen to me? My pack? Was I finally going crazy?

I was scared beyond belief. But I knew once what was happening, life would make me crazy. Might as well do it with style right?... Right?

I'd texted the guys individually, and asked Hi to text Ben for me, to meet me at the Bunker. I texted Chance.

* * *

"So, we all talked about it," I looked at the guys who were seated behind me looking like they'd back me up on anything that I said, "we talked it over a lot. And we think the best decision for all of us, to make sure we're as safe as we can get right now," He genuinely didn't know what I was about to say, "we've decided to take your offer."


	10. Chapter 10

Chance had given us a map so we couldn't be seen an told us to meet two days later to give him time to get everything we needed. Whatever that might be. Meanwhile, the guys and I had to get everything sorted on our ends.

Shelton found a computer program in the next town over and told his mom that he'd just stay over so he wouldn't have to commute the two hours everyday; shockingly, she agreed to let him go but only if he didn't sleep with any one and did as he was told and didn't get into anymore trouble. Sorry, not sorry.

Hi and Ben told their parents they were going on a fishing trip for a little bit and were gonna camp out on a couple islands.

As for me, since Kit was away on business and Whitney was doing, whatever Whitneys' do best, I was scott free for the next three to four weeks.

We decided to hang out in the Bunker the couple nights Chance told us to wait so we wouldn't be home while we said we wouldn't be. Normally, having the guys around wouldn't have phased me one little bit, but now, with everything that's happened, I was a little nervous.

I set up my little corner by the window and kept to myself as much as I could.

"So, Tor," Hi began, "Ben told us you're having a little trouble controlling your flares lately." I waited for him to go on and say how I'd become soft and girly but Ben being the good guy that he is didn't tell a soul about what I'd really done.

"I don't know. I don't even remember when I flare anymore. I feel like I'm in a fog, and can't get out. I just feel lost and warped afterwards. I don't get that "high", it just drains me. I feel like..." I looked up and saw all three of them starring in wonder and worry, I didn't like one bit of it, "it's slowly eating away something inside me, and eventually it's gonna take over for good."

* * *

We had many debates and theories and questions and mock solutions but none that seemed to be able to really solve this problem. My biggest concerns were that it was going to take over me and I'd end up hurting someone or that I'd eventually affect the guys and we'd all be in the same boat gong up shit creek without a paddle.

Two day's had gone by when Chance finally came by in a decent sized fishing trolly without all the fishing gear.

"Took ya long enough eh, Rich Boy." there was that snarkiness about Hi that I was certain would almost never change. I smiled, slightly reassured in the security of my pack.

I whistled for Copp and watched him as he came charging from the dunes.

"Hey, hey, hey what is this?" Chance said frustratedly as Coop jumped onto the boat.

"Coop's just as involved in this as any of us are. He's where this all started, remember? If there's any hope of us finding out what's wrong with us, Coop's gotta be invovled. Or have you forgotten already that you, you,_ Chance Claybourne_, infected yourself with a super virus that we've been trying to protect with our very lives, so I'm sorry if you don't feel exactly comfortable with being around a wolf dog, but you did this to yourself, you and only you, and now you're gonna have to live with the the consequences of being part wolf now. Get it, got it, good."

That was probably the most I've said all week, and the most I would say all trip.

I watched Ben load up _Sewee_ and pull out of the dock waiting for the green light from Chance once we'd gotten everything settled on the ship. He radioed in to Ben and we were off to either save our lives or destroy them for good.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note: Hi guys, sorry again about the gaps between posts. I'm having some personal problems but the comments and reviews help. I'll keep writing and encourage you all to go buy _Terminal_, the final book in the _Virals_ series. I vow not to read it before I finish this so I don't influence the outcome or create spoilers for anyone of how the series really ends (including myself). Enjoy!**

* * *

The wake was a little choppy, poor Hi. He'd taken sea sickness pills before we set out but that didn't stop him from throwing up at least five times before conking out below deck. I looked around at the other Virals; we all looked pretty wrecked. Me more than anyone. I couldn't have slept more than five hours in total for the past week, I was running on pure adreneline and caffeine. Thank god for K-Cups or I'd be dead.

Shelton was twiddling with his lock pick key chain, a specialty of his that we've put to use many a time committing felonies, Chance captained the boat and Ben trailed about three _Sewee_ sized boat lengths away. I knew this was going to be hard on all of us going into since none of us really liked Chance, and since Chance now had trust issues; not to mention serious mental ones no thanks to us.

I stared at the horizon with my beat up baseball cap shielding my eyes from the sun as Coop napped on my legs that seems to glow in all their pasty glory. I looked down at the wolfdog puppy and sighed. If only jerks in this world didn't care about money, maybe we wouldn't have been in this mess? If only things had been different, our worlds wouldn't revolve around our secret. I closed my eyes and thought of just how different they would be as I drifted off to the sound of wakes breaking against the bow of Chance's boat, _Charger_, and the sound of seagulls cawing over head.

* * *

Everything was misty. I couldn't see more than an inch in front of my face even with my crystal hearing. Everything was dad silent. My super sonic hearing couldn't detect the faintest sounds. The only thing I could smell was a musty stink which left my head confused. I was completely disoriented.

_Danger_.

My subconscious screamed. Every hair stood on end. Something here wasn't safe. Something here was out to get me.

_Turn around_.

My head whipped back and there _he _was. His presence made my mind ache and my body tense. His glaring red eyes scorched holes into my very soul. Where was my pack? What had he done to them? Suddenly, I could smell a new scent. Metallic. Liquid. I dripped from his jowls along with his saliva. His lips parted to show glimmering fangs, stained red, and much fiercer than my own.

_You know what happened. You always knew this would happen. And it's all your fault. You've lost._

No. No it couldn't be. I backed up. My flank hit a wall. I was trapped. He moved towards me tauntingly. He knew I couldn't run. He could see the fear in my eyes. My heart quickened and suddenly, everything hit me. Emotions. Thoughts. Fears. Desires. Smells. Sounds. Memories. Everything hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn't escape, but there was a way I could survive.

_Take him out_.

My subconscious screamed again. Then, my body tumbled and fell. Everything was spinning and moving and I couldn't steady myself. But I hurled towards him.

* * *

What the hell she was doing, he had no clue. One minute he was steering the ship, the next, a hot, burning sensation jerked his mind and sent him to the ground in agony. He looked around and saw that the two boys eyes were glowing gold. On their faces were looks of horror, but they weren't pointed at him, but Tory.

He looked over to see the wolf dog running away from the girl he usually loved more than anyone. She really was horrifying. Her eyes were bright gold with purple bags under them making her look menacing. Her face contorted into a mock snarl and a hideous noise rose from her throat. He'd seen her do this thing they called "flaring" before, but nothing as scary as this. Her nails seems to come to a point, and she hunched her back. She stumbled a bit from the boat rocking back and forth a little bit.

"BEN! BEN! Get over here now! She's lost it!" Chance heard the guy named Shelton yell to Blue. Chance whipped his head back as he head Shelton yell, "Chance, LOOK OUT!" too late.

Tory hurled herself at Chance with stunning speed. She dug her nails into his skin to the point where he was sure he was bleeding.

"TORY! Snap out of it!" Shelton yelled helplessly in the background and the dog barking ferociously. Chance could barely hear Ben's motor gunning it towards the ship. He looked up at her twisted face, attempting to snap her out of it.

"Tory! Stop! You're hurting me! Please! Snap out of it!" He begged and pleaded as they wrestled on the deck trying to knock her off him.

"_No... you kill pack. You evil... must protect pack._" Her voice wasn't hers. It was low and raspy and demonic. Almost as if it was difficult for her to even make small words. And what was that about him killing the pack? He hadn't done anything. Chance had to think of a way to subdue her. He thought and thought and his thoughts brought him to the 9mm glock in the compartment next to the steering wheel. He placed his foot right underneath her rib cage and pushed her off to the bow. Hoping the wind was knocked out of her, he made a mad dash to the gun only to cock it, turn and find that the barrel was pointed at her left shoulder.

_CRACK_.

She staggered backward. Her hand was covered with her blood. He felt small spatters on his own face. Her eyes locked with his. They faded from their feral gold back to their true emerald. Her eyes fluttered shut as she fell backwards into the sea.


End file.
